Obama Netanyahu Iran

Even more important than the refusal to open the door to a potential attack by Israel on Iran was a strategic development that has not yet received the illumination it deserves: President Obama's recalibration of the alliance between the U.S. and its closest ally in the Middle East.

Herein lies the major debate taking place in Israel, the United States, and around the world: how long will the Jewish state be willing to wait for all diplomatic options to be exhausted before it makes the decision to launch a preemptive strike on Iran's nuclear program?

If Netanyahu decides to strike, Iranians and Americans (and Israelis) will not only be dragged into an unwanted and bloody war but Iranians may have to protect themselves from clouds of nuclear radioactive material with grave short-term, not to mention long-term, effects.